It is disappointing that the Government has continued to downsize the Post Office network and withdraw services which vulnerable groups need most.

In his statement to the House of Commons the Minister tried to reassure the House by stating that the new rules will “Guarantee reasonable access in both urban and rural areas with additional protection for the more deprived urban areas”.

The Minister further stated that when closing down a branch the Post Office will have to demonstrate how it has considered “the availability of public transport and alternative access to key Post Office services and the impact on local economies”

Some 4,000 post offices have already closed in the past eight years and a further 2,500 are expected to close by 2009, equal to a fifth of the current network.

Post offices are not just bricks and mortar in our local streets, they are actual small businesses providing the owner with a wage and a livelihood, creating jobs and providing valuable services to the local community.

Since the recent announcement the government is being criticised for appearing to blatantly ignoring the views put forward in the consultation.

Firstly it is vitally important to understand that small businesses are providing goods and services in every part of urban, rural and in our towns and cities. These small businesses rely on the right infrastructure to support and help them run their businesses.

One of the key services required is the basic postal service, delivering and collecting business mail. But local shops, pubs and other local firms need more than that. They need stamps; parcels, recorded mail, cash facilities, vehicle licences and other services and most of these are only available in the community at the local post offices.

But it is not only local businesses that need this service. You will understand that not all local people drive, some are elderly, there are lower income families, people with disabilities, children, all who may not have the ability or the transport to drive twenty or thirty miles to the next nearest post office.

Post offices are an integral part of local communities and frequently act as a meeting point for older people who prefer more traditional methods of doing business. They will go into their local post office and bump into their friends. It is an important part of the social infrastructure.

A recent survey carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses, showed that a fifth (20%) of respondents said they used the post office every day while nearly half (47%) use their local post office more than once a week. The post office is used mainly for sending parcels (79%) and to purchase stamps (78%).

But as I have already mentioned the social role that the post office has to play in both rural and urban areas is significant. Local small businesses predominantly serve local markets and employ local people, they are local residents themselves and spend locally and put most of their money back into the local economy.

Small Businesses understand only too well, the real need for sustainable communities as many have already seen their local bank, corner shop, butcher or baker disappear over the last few years.

But, and this is a very important “but” the reality is that a lot of our local post offices are suffering and are not being frequented or used enough. They are businesses in their own right and need to have clients and need to make a profit.

So my plea to you, the reader, is use your local post office and encourage your family, your relatives, your neighbours because it is very much USE IT OR LOSE IT. One thing is certain once it is gone it will never return.


Permission to display this article kindly provided by Robin Key..... Federation of Small Businesses North East Scotland Region.